Zoa pushed Asher toward the washroom. "Go and take a shower. I've bought food for us.", Zoa told him.
"Did you go out without telling me?", Asher asked furiously.
"I don't need your permission.", Zoa replied loudly.
"Fine, you don't need to ask me. But at least, consider me as your friend. Bye, I'll be back.", Asher kissed on Zoa's cheek and left.
Zoa was left alone dumbfounded. She gently touched her cheek and she realized that she was blushing.
"Am I losing my mind?", Zoa thought.
Zoa took the food out of the bags and placed it on the kitchen's shelf. She wanted to decorate the food but it ended up looking like wasted food.
"What's this?", Asher came from behind and asked Zoa.
"I was trying to make food look delicious but it went wrong.", Zoa replied with disappointment.
"Let me help you.", Asher helped Zoa and the food ended up looking more delicious.
"You are a savage!", Zoa complimented him.
"Then give me a kiss.", Asher pouted his lips.
"Shut up!", Zoa clasped Asher's lips and shut his mouth. Zoa dragged Asher with his lips and ordered, "Let's eat!"
"It's yummy!", Asher complimented.
"I know.", Zoa responded.
"Why are you giving me a treat?", Asher asked while eating.
"We are leaving today. Here are the tickets.", Zoa placed the tickets on the table after they finished eating.
"I see. You bought two tickets.", Asher smiled and washed the dishes.
"Yes, we have to leave at 10. You have ninety minutes. Get ready.", Zoa announced.
"I've to visit the camp before leaving. I need to pick my stuff from there.", Asher told her.
"Ok"
Zoa helped Asher cleaning the house. She packed the garbage and dig it.
It took half an hour to clean and leave the house.
"Now, we are ready to go.", Asher said.
Zoa had wore a white cap on her head and covered her face with a white mask and black sunglasses.
"You are looking suspicious. I don't want to walk around you. When you are looking like this.", Asher complained as they had left the forest and were walking on the road.
"If you don't want to go with me. Then we can go on a separate way.", Zoa declared.
Asher took her to a guest house. They had tried to ask for a lift but the appearance of Zoa had forbidden anyone from stopping near to them. The other reason was the remoteness of the area.
Asher had tried to unlock the door but he had lost his keys.
"What's wrong?", Zoa asked.
"I'll go and grab the spare keys from the caretaker. Wait for me.", Asher left her in search of the caretaker.
It was daytime. The sunlight directly fell on broad shoulders of Asher's back. He looked behind and smiled at her before leaving. Zoa felt that scene similar.
"Is this a déjà vu?", Zoa asked to herself.
"Am I remembering my past?", Zoa thought.
Zoa was lost in her thoughts when Asher grabbed her shoulder.
"I've unlocked the door. We are good to go now."
Zoa entered in the room. Asher grabbed some clothes and gave them to Zoa.
"Changing is that way.", Asher pointed toward the right side.
"Why?", Zoa asked.
"Think of it as a guise. Please remove that cap and mask. Trust me. It'll be a best disguise.", Asher assured her.
Asher pushed her toward the washroom and locked it. "I can join you. If you want.", Asher shouted after closing the door.
Zoa looked at herself in the mirror. She was looking like a patient in the mask and the glasses.
"He is right.", Zoa removed the cap, mask and sunglasses.
Zoa changed into Asher's clothes. She tried to made a bun but her hair strands were coming out.
Zoa searched the drawers there. She found a scissors. Zoa was going to cut her strands which were disturbing her.
"What are you doing?", Asher grabbed her hand and took the scissors from her.
"Are you keeping an eye on me?", Zoa asked while blowing her hair strands from her face with her mouth.
"I wanted to check on you because you were taking long. Now, I want to know your reasons.", Asher glared at her.
"I was trying to tie my hairs. But I suck at this.", Zoa avoided Asher's eyes.
"Let me help you.", Asher grabbed the comb and gently comb Zoa's hair.
Zoa felt relaxed. A sensation was running in her body. Zoa recalled that someone was caressing and tying her hairs. Nobody had ever done that to her.
Zoa had a few attendants in her house. But all of them were females. Zoa had saw a male hands caressing her hair and gently embracing her.
"It's done."
Zoa opened her eyes. Asher had made a perfect hair bun.
"You have did a good job. You are good in everything. You know how to cook and you even know how to tie the hair.", Zoa complimented to Asher.
"I'm glad. You have noticed.", Asher smirked.
Zoa wore the cap and took a last look of herself in the mirror. She smiled at her reflection. Zoa had liked that look.
Asher had packed his stuff. He was wearing a bag. Zoa was also wearing the hitman's bag.
"Can you leave like this?", Zoa asked to Asher.
"Leaving like this?"
"You had came here for a camp. Can you leave like this without informing anyone?"
"I had came here as my friend's substitute. I had not registered myself there as well. So, everything is alright. But how did you know I've not contact anyone. Are you keeping an eye on me?"
Zoa rolled her eyes at that question and responded, "Your phone is broken. It is not working. You have not stop at any phone booth as well."
"It was better if you had agreed with me.", Asher showed his inner motive.
"Asher, when had we met for the first time?", Zoa asked.
"We..", Asher was going to reply but looking at Zoa's curious eyes. He smirked and didn't speak a word..
"What?", Zoa asked.
"Why don't you try it remember it by yourself?", Asher came close to her ears and whispered to her.
Zoa glared at him and moved a few steps away from him.
"Why did you ask this question? Why are you interested in our past?", Asher asked.
"I saw an illusion. The two hands were caressing and tying my hairs. The hands were manly. I thought you may know that person.", Zoa told him the truth.
"I wanted to think that you were finally taking interest in me. But that's not the case. Who do you think that person can be?"
"My late father?"
Asher nodded his head and agreed with her. The bus arrvied and they left that place.
Asher and Zoa separated their ways after reaching the city. Asher refused to go on separate way but Zoa insisted him.
She wanted sometime alone. They exchanged their contact information and promised to meet tomorrow in a café. Asher will decide the location and share it with Zoa.
Zoa agreed with him and took a taxi to unknown path. She went to the house of the dead hit man.
Zoa reached his apartment. He owned that apartment. Zoa kept standing on the front door before entering.
"Please forgive me. But you deserve it.", Zoa prayed in front of the door before unlocking it.
Zoa entered in the apartment. The password was simple. The hitman must have been a simple man. That was Zoa's first thought.
Because she didn't have to struggle to find anything. He had arranged his all passwords and details in a single Excel file in his mobile.
There was a list of his targets and the persons who had hired him. The details of the payments and success rate. Everything was easy to find.
"Did he want the police to catch him without any effort?", Zoa said as she opened his laptop.
The apartment was clean and well arranged as well. Zoa investigated the whole apartment. It was a single bedroom apartment. The kitchen was on the ground floor and the bedroom was on the first floor.
Zoa had found some interesting gadgets while investigating the apartment.
Zoa fell asleep on someone else bed while investigating. She was tired. Her single bone and cell was fatigue and tired.
Zoa woke up and looked at the clock. It was night already. Zoa checked her phone. She saw that Asher had called her 90 times. There were 100+ unread messages as well.
Zoa checked the messages. She had received messages from two persons. One was Asher, who had sent her 120 messages. He had asked about her whereabouts and well being.
"Where are you?"
"If you won't pick up my calls. Then I'll start stalking you."
...
..
..
"It's my last warning."
"Please, Zoa. Don't ignore me."
The second person who had sent the messages was someone whose contact info were not saved.
Zoa opened the messages. It was a wedding card.
"Oh! His ex invited him to her wedding. This is interesting.", Zoa said.
Zoa was going to call Asher but before she could dial his number. He called her first.
Zoa picked the call. "Are you fine?", A panic voice full of worry asked from the other side of the phone.
Zoa smiled unconsciously after hearing this. But she felt a little bit of guilty for ignoring him.
"I was sleeping.", Zoa responded with a calm voice. She didn't want to chuckle.
"I see. You must be tired. Are you staying at that killer house?"
"Yes, I'm staying at his house. It's a comfortable one. He had no friends, no family nothing at all."
"No lover either?"
"He had a girlfriend but she is getting married next month. They had a break up."
"That's good. But wait a second. How do you know about this?"
"She sent an invitation when I was sleeping."
"Did she come over?"
"No, she didn't. She had messaged. Now, can we talk later? You should also rest."
"I'll send you the location and timing for our tomorrow's meeting. Please act more responsible this time."
"Ok, byee."
Zoa hung the phone. She wanted to talk more and share her feelings with him. Zoa wanted to lean on someone.
But Zoa knew that she couldn't trust him easily. Everything had started after he had sent her a picture.
Asher knew about her trauma and past as well. Zoa couldn't risk to lose him. She had no reason to kill him either.
"I need to eat something first. I don't want to die yet.", Zoa moved downstairs.
She opened the fridge and the cabins in the kitchen. There was nothing to eat at all.
"I had to eat at some restaurants. But I have no energy to go out.", Zoa lay down on the floor of the kitchen.
Zoa always had a habit to lay straight on the floor. She had this habit from childhood. Whenever she felt depressed and sad.
She went in a park or a garden and lay down there while observing the sky.
Zoa did the same this time as well. She looked at the ceiling of the kitchen.
"What am I going to do next? If I had to fight against a rival or any other relative then I already had them on my palm. But now, it's my birth mother. She had done nothing except giving birth to me."
"Sigh"
"Then why am I resisting to go against her."
This thought occupied her mind for a long time. Zoa sat on the floor and stretched her back.
"I know what do I need to do?", Zoa aimed and stretched her arms. She opened the cup noodles from her bag.
Zoa had snacks and some cup noodles in her bag. "I'm going to use my emergency food.", Zoa spoke to herself while eating.
After finish eating, Zoa grabbed that bag and locked the apartment before leaving.
Zoa wore a hood before leaving. She had covered her head with the hood's cap. She was wearing the backpack over her hood.
"I had never imagined that. A day like this would come. When I had to wear used clothes of other men. The men who are total strangers for me."
Zoa moved on the unknown dark streets of the vast city in search of the familiar dark streets. Zoa checked the phone to find her way.
Zoa finally saw some familiar roads and streets. She was standing in front of a tall building. It was dark.
The darkness was killing Zoa. "Was this place always this dark?", Zoa thought as she looked around.
She had lived in that place for last ten years. After taking admission in the college. She had shifted to this building.
Zoa was familiar with each corner of that building even the darkest corner there. Zoa covered her face with a white mask and entered in the building.
— New chapter is coming soon — Write a review
You may also Like
Paragraph comment
Paragraph comment feature is now on the Web! Move mouse over any paragraph and click the icon to add your comment.
Also, you can always turn it off/on in Settings.
GOT IT